APA Citation: Jones, L. (2006). Mister Pip. New York, NY: The Dial Press. ISBN: 978-0-385-34107-3
Award:Mister Pip won The Alex Award in 2008.
Summary:Mister Pip is the story of a young teenager named Matlida, who lives on a war-torn island in the South Pacific. The families living on the island are struggling daily to survive life in a war zone where the bad political and poor economic situations cause immense hardships on everyone. The story takes off when Matilda meets the only white man on the island, Mr. Watts, a teacher who begins to bring an odd sort of structure to her life when he reads Great Expectations to the children. Matilda’s life begins to intertwine with the strange lives of Pip, Estella, and other characters in the classic novel, and she uses the novel to escape the realities of her life. The novel begins to allow Matilda and the other children of the island to share their own life stories and eventually, when Matilda leaves the island, the events and characters from Great Expectations help her to find and establish her own place in the world.
Critique: As a high school English teacher who teaches the classic novel, Great Expectations, I was so excited to find out about this book. Even before I became an educator, Great Expectations has been one of my favorite novels of all time. Having said that, I had very high expectations for Mister Pip. My expectations were met and possibly exceeded as I loved this novel. This novel would be perfect to incorporate into a Great Expectations unit of study as Matilda’s struggles and commitment to the novel would allow students a wonderful opportunity to challenge the way they think about who they are as individuals and their own lives, and also how they can relate to texts that they read.
Curriculum Connection:
Reading Standards for Literature, Grades 6-12 (Grades 9-10 Craft and Structure)
6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
(Mister Pip is set in a South Pacific Island and written by Lloyd Jones of New Zealand; the novel relies heavily on the novel Great Expectations written and published in England by Charles Dickens)
Genre: Fiction
Classroom Activity using Developing Content Area Literacy:
Strategy 18: Connect to It- Making Personal, Text, and World Connections to Text
The purpose of the Connect To It Strategy is to provide students with a deeper understanding of what they are reading, and a guide to help students connect the text to themselves, to other texts they have read, and to make global connections.
*Before Reading: Before reading this particular novel, Mister Pip, students will have already completed the classic novel Great Expectations. The teacher will discuss ways in which readers can connect to literature (and model a connection from a prior novel) and engage students in a discussion that focuses on Mister Pip and what this novel will be about.
*During Reading: Students will read the novel as a class or as an independent reading assignment, but will be responsible for stopping at determined and set intervals to make a connection to the text (personal, text, world), record it in their connection journal, and continue reading. (Journal graphic Figure 18.3 on page 136 of text)
Students in the United States do not live in a war zone like Matilda, but students can relate to war. Many students have family members who are currently or have served in the US military in the War on Terrorism in Iraq or Afghanistan. Furthermore, because this text will be completed after having read Great Expectations, students should be able to make substantial text to text connections.
*After Reading: After reading the novel, students will hold discussion to reflect on the connection they made throughout the reading of Mister Pip. Students can be placed in small groups to share about the connections made. Students should compare the connections they made with their peers to create a collaborative learning climate. Each small group can then share an example of each type of connection with the class.
- Curriculum Connection:
Reading Standards for Literature, Grades 6-12 (Grades 9-10 Craft and Structure)6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
(Mister Pip is set in a South Pacific Island and written by Lloyd Jones of New Zealand; the novel relies heavily on the novel Great Expectations written and published in England by Charles Dickens)
Strategy 18: Connect to It- Making Personal, Text, and World Connections to Text
The purpose of the Connect To It Strategy is to provide students with a deeper understanding of what they are reading, and a guide to help students connect the text to themselves, to other texts they have read, and to make global connections.
*Before Reading: Before reading this particular novel, Mister Pip, students will have already completed the classic novel Great Expectations. The teacher will discuss ways in which readers can connect to literature (and model a connection from a prior novel) and engage students in a discussion that focuses on Mister Pip and what this novel will be about.
*During Reading: Students will read the novel as a class or as an independent reading assignment, but will be responsible for stopping at determined and set intervals to make a connection to the text (personal, text, world), record it in their connection journal, and continue reading. (Journal graphic Figure 18.3 on page 136 of text)
Students in the United States do not live in a war zone like Matilda, but students can relate to war. Many students have family members who are currently or have served in the US military in the War on Terrorism in Iraq or Afghanistan. Furthermore, because this text will be completed after having read Great Expectations, students should be able to make substantial text to text connections.
*After Reading: After reading the novel, students will hold discussion to reflect on the connection they made throughout the reading of Mister Pip. Students can be placed in small groups to share about the connections made. Students should compare the connections they made with their peers to create a collaborative learning climate. Each small group can then share an example of each type of connection with the class.